South Korean Film Fest To Open And Close With Female Directors

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WWR Article Summary (tl;dr)For the first time in its 22-year history, works by female directors will both open and close the Busan International Film Festival.

Seoul

Korea’s “Glass Garden,” directed by Shin Su-won and starring actress Moon Geun-young, is set to open the festival, which will run in the southeastern port city of Busan from Oct. 12-21.

The film, straddling fantasy and reality, features Moon as Jae-yeon, a scientist who studies blood.

After being betrayed by a lover, she seeks refuge in a secluded forest where she meets ostracized novelist Ji-hoon, played by Kim Tae-woo. He makes a shocking discovery there.

“It was a character that I had not come across before,” said Moon at a press conference in central Seoul on Monday.

Shin previously directed “Madonna” (2015) for which she won best director at the Wildflower Film Awards. Her 2013 “Pluto” received a special mention at the Berlin International Film Festival.

“(The film) is about how a young scientist thwarts her hopes and dreams due to human desire. It began by questioning whether (we) could not coexist like humans and nature.”

The closing film is “Love Education” by Taiwanese director Sylvia Chang, featuring three women from different generations tracing women’s history in China.

A total 298 films from 75 countries will be screened this year, with 100 world premieres and 29 international premieres. Screenings will take place on 32 screens in five theaters throughout Busan.

Jang Dong-gun (“V.I.P,” 2017) and Kim Ha-neul (“Misdemeanor,” 2017) will emcee the opening ceremony, set to take place at the Busan Cinema Center on Oct. 12.

A large selection of this year’s works are from China and Japan. “This is the trend of Asian cinema this year. We only considered the quality of the films in our programming,” said executive director Kang Soo-youn.